You And Me
by Wicked Buggy
Summary: AU Kirito meets Asuna in school. They've been dating for more than two years now, but Kirito feels different now. Something's changed. He meets a mystery girl online, who makes him feel giddy and weird- kind of like how Asuna used to make him feel. But "Sinon" has problems of her own. Will he make the right decision, or will he shatter someones heart? "M" just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **Asuna** : How was your day? ( _7:09pm)_

 **Kazuto** : It was okay. ( _7:24pm)_

 **Asuna** : Just okay? We spent most of it together! ( _7:26pm)_

 **Kazuto** : I mean yeah, it was great… I thought you meant after I left… I miss you.. ( _7:45pm)_

 **Asuna** : I miss you too Kazuto. Night! ( _7:48pm)_

 **Kazuto** : Night… ( _8:00pm)_

Kazuto pushed his chair away from the desk with a sign, turning off the monitor to his computer. He loved Asuna, but she could be so clingy… He leaned against the chair, arching his back and looking up at the ceiling. He didn't want to go to school tomorrow. Because of his grades, his sister pushed him to apply to a really fancy pants school and he'd never felt more out of place, even after being there for two years… The only good part was Asuna and the few friends he'd managed to gain.

"Kaazutoooo! What are we doing for dinner?!" The muted call of his sister caused him to sit back up again and rub his face. Right. Dinner. He lifted himself up off of the chair and moved towards the door, turning the light off in his room.

"I don't know… Why don't you learn how to cook?" He called back, closing his bedroom door behind him.

"What crawled up your ass?" Sugu was leaning on the counter when he walked in, a slight offended look dawning her face.

"Nothing, sorry. Can we just make sandwiches or something? I'm not in the mood to cook." Suguha nodded and pulled out the bread from the cubboard along with a few things from the fridge. Side by side they made their meals, and Sugu gagged at his.

"Bacon bits, mayo, mustart, ham **and** pickles? Kazuto, you're disgusting." She shuddered and moved her plate far from his, not wanting her food anywhere near his.

"What? It's healthy." He laughed and picked it up, deciding to eat at the counter.

After they ate and put away their dishes, the two went back into their rooms for the night. Kazuto flopped onto his bed, belly first, not bothering to turn the light back on. Without getting up, he kicked off his shoes and wiggled out of his pants. Like a worm, he inched up his bed and rolled over, pulling off his shirt. Damn these summers were hot. There was only three months left of school, but it felt like an eternity. He lay facing up, staring into his ceiling, waiting for the spots to leave his eyes and for them to adjust to the lack of lighting. After a couple moments he was able to see the stucco pattern on his ceiling, and he began counting the little points until he fell asleep.

 _Ugh. Monday._

Kazuto shivered, realizing he never did go under his blankets before falling asleep, though once he opened his curtains, the heat of the sun solved his problem. With a yawn, he went to change, but a glint of blonde hair caught his attention. Peaking out the window more closely, he found Asuna making her way to his front door. Crap. He'd forgotten she wanted to walk together, which meant he was supposed to be up early and ready… He groaned and out on the same pants as yesterday, and grabbed the white undershirt he needed with his uniform. He quickly slipped on the uniform button up, missing a few buttons as he rushed to do them up, and pulled on the jacked that went with it. Grabbing his back he jogged to the front door just as she ran the door bell. He flew it open with a half smile, and greeted her.

"...You forgot didn't you." Asuna pushed passed him into the house and sat down on a chair in the kitchen.

"What? No! I'm ready, let's go!" Kazuto chuckled nervously, patting down his bedhead and walking back towards her.

"Your shirt is buttoned wrong, your hair is a mess, you forgot your neck tie and you're not wearing any socks." She looked up at him, unamused, just as Sugu entered the room. She took one look at him and burst out laughing.

"Kaz—Kazu—Kazuto you look like, and idiot!" She hunched over the counter, banging her fist down.

"Sugu… You don't look any better." Sugu had entered with bed head worse than his, a loose fitting shirt that was falling down, baggy stained gray sweatpants, and miss matched purple and orange socks. Her makeup from the day before had smudged as well. Sugu, confused, looked into the refelction of the toaster and groaned sticking the figure at her older brother and shuffling back into her room.

"You're not supposed to remind a woman of how bad she looks in the morning bro!" She called as she slammed her door shut for effect. Kazuto laughed but Asuna rolled her eyes, standing. She undid his dress shirt and started doing the buttons up properly.

"Go get your necktie and socks." She shooed him along and went back to the door, slipping on her shoes. Kazuto did as was told be left the necktie in his room again.

"Where is it?"

"I never wear it! I hate the stupid thing!" Asuna sighed and looked at her watch.

"Fine. We're going to be late now thanks to you." She grumbled and they left the house together, Kazuto always one step behind her.

It was lunch time, and like everyday Kazuto walked out to the field with Asuna to meet their friends. Hand in hand they greeted them, smiling and waving away the compliments of "aww you guys are so cute!" It had been two years together now. They knew how cute people thought they were.

Liz elbowed him in the side as they sat down, leaning over to whisper in his ear.

"Gonna be three years soon… What do you have planned buddy?" She eyeballed him in the way that Liz did and waggled her eyebrows. Kazuto waved his hands, shaking his head.

"Not a clue. But don't get any funny ideas!" Asuna glanced over, curious.

"Ideas about what?" She leaned on his shoulder, resting her head down.

"N-nothing." Kazuto stuffed his mouth with food so no more words could be spoken. Liz leaned away, pouty now, but Silica patted her arm laughing lightly.

"Oh! So everyone, I was thinking maybe next weekend, we could all go on a trip together! My family owns a house on the lake a few towns over, and it's absolutely stunning!" Asuna clapped her hands together, beaming at the idea. Liz and Silica nodded happily, while Klein and Agil fist bumped, looking at the two girls almost drooling. Kazuto didn't even want to know what they were thinking.

"So everyone agrees then?" Asuna looked around, not even bothering to ask Kazuto's opinion, just assuming he would be in.

"Fantastic! I'll let my parents know!" She smiled whole heartedly, and he had to admit, it was beautiful. _She_ was beautiful. A weekend at the cottage couldn't be a horrible idea, could it? It was a nice time away, with his friends and Asuna. So why did he feel this pit in his stomach?

"Kazuto?" Her voice brought him out of his thoughts. He glanced down at her.

"Are you alright? You seem so quiet today." Her voice was filled with worry, the irritation from this morning seemingly long gone.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I love you." He moved to kiss her forehead, eliciting a bunch of "ouuu's" from their friends, which they gracefully ignored.

"Alright. I love you too." Asuna blushed lightly, a small smile on her lips. He did love her. How could he not? She was kind, beautiful, smart… She believed in him 100% and always had… Though he was a poor boy that was just good with computers, matched with a rich girl with a good family… and a cottage a couple towns over. In reality the two didn't really match up, and he knew that, but something about her kept him near.

"Suguha! You home?" Kazuto called into the empty home, and once no reply was given, he had his answer. He slipped off his shoes and shuffled into his room, flipping on the light. His computer monitor was blinking, so he set his back down, took of his jacket and pulled out his chair, sitting down and turning it on. He undid the top few buttons of his shirt, and opened the messages that were waiting for him.

 **Asuna** : Ka-zu-to! I'm so excited for next weekend, aren't you? _(4:45pm)_

 **Asuna** : Kazuto? Are you sure you were okay today? _(4:50pm)_

 **Asuna** : Hun? Why aren't you answering me, are you alright? _(5:00pm)_

 **Asuna** : … You're worrying me. ( _5:05pm)_

Kazuto sighed and rubbed his face. She was just worried about him. That's all. He lifted his hands to the keyboard to type his reply, just as the phone began to ring. He lowered his hands and looked up to the ceiling.

"How much you wanna bet it's her?" He spoke to himself, and once he grabbed the phone, the caller ID confirmed his suspicion.

"Hello?"

"Kazuto! Are you alright?" Her voice was shrill causing him to pull the phone away from his ear making a face.

"I'm fine, why?" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, glancing at the time. He really hadn't taken much longer to get home than usual.

"You weren't answering me…"

"Asuna. I stopped at the store with Klein on my way home. I _just_ got home."

"…oh. Okay. Sorry to bother you." Her tone sounded hurt.

"No, it's fine. You were just worried."

"Ka-zuuu-tooo!" Sugu's voice called from the front door.

"Asuna, I have to go. Sugu's home, I promised I'd make dinner tonight.

"But—fine. Alright. I love you."

"You too-" He hung up the phone and stood up, going to greet Sugu and make dinner as promised.


	2. Chapter 2

_Asuna is typing…_

Kazuto leaned against the back of his chair. It had been only a day since Asuna suggested that they all go away together. It was all any of their group could talk about. What swim suits to bring, what activities they could do, what to eat, and more that Kazuto had tuned out.

 _Asuna is typing…_

He let a puff of air out of his mouth and clicked over to another tab. He scrolled down the page, seeing the various updates of the people in his life. It looked like Agil was excited for his birthday, he'd finally be of age. Agil had always had that odd obsession with bartending. Silica got a pet lizard… Liz bought another pocket knife… Klein was obsessing with another pop idol he couldn't have. Speaking of Klein, a message from him popped up in a new tab.

 **Klein** : Yo Kazuto! I found a game you might be interested in! Seems like your thing. ( _6:45pm)_

Curious, Kazuto clicked the link Klein had given him. The guy was weird, but his taste in games never failed. Another tab opened up and after a moment of loading a nicely laid out webpage appeared, advertising for its game; "Chronicles of the Kingdom". He'd never heard of it. From the look of it, it seemed medieval based, from the clothing to the food to the environment. Thankfully the speech didn't seem overly formal.

Klein wasn't wrong, this did look like something he'd play.

 _New message from Asuna._

His computer blipped once alerting him of the message, and he clicked over to read it.

 **Asuna** : I'm so excited for this weekend! It's going to be so much fun! Which bathing suit do you think I should bring? The red one, or the blue one? ( _6:50pm_ )

After a moment of thought Kazuto clicked out of the page, deciding to reply later. He was just oddly curious of the game. After making a new account, it asked him to pick a username. Automatically he used his name, Kazuto, but after a second of thought, he changed it. Kirito. Now he needed to make an avatar. Oh! He hadn't realized before, but the game was compatible with his full dive gear! He pushed away from his desk and plugged in his gear, laying down on his bed and putting it on.

"Link Start!" He whispered to himself, clicking the on button. He really didn't need to say that, but he always felt so dramatic. The options for the avatar popped back up, now connected to his web browser. He kept his hair black, a little shaggier than his natural. He chose brown clothing, nothing too fancy, and decided to distort his face just a little so people couldn't recognize him. He changed his eyes from brown to bright blue. Once that was done the game began, plopping him down in the starting village.

"Woah…" He looked around, noticing how advanced the graphics seemed to be. He looked down at his hands flipping them forward and back. It had been months since his last full dive. School had taken over, along with Asuna, he simply hadn't had time. Kazuto looked up into the sun, the glare looked so real. The temperature was beautiful, not sticky and hot like home.

The little quest light in the corner of his visions told him he needed to go to the weapons shop and purchase the weapon of his choosing. Though it couldn't be too expensive, he didn't have any coin to start with. With a quick look at his map, he started off in the direction of the shop, wondering what he would end up with.

* * *

It took a little while, but Kazuto left the shop satisfied, well for now. It was only a starter sword and he knew he would upgrade later, but for a starter it wasn't that bad. The little light in the corner told him to head to the field and level up a bit, so once he knew where that was, that's exactly what he did.

Once he was finished with that, he rested at level 11. About the max he could achieve with the sword he'd purchased. Though the monsters had dropped a decent amount of coin, so buy a new sword later wouldn't be hard. The goal now was food. He knew the food here couldn't sustain him, but it felt right to eat after all of that.

Kazuto headed back to the village and stepped into the first tavern he found, going up to the barkeep and requesting a simple meal and drink. While he waited he leaned against the counter, tapping his fingers. Without his noticing, a woman walked up to him, standing next to him. At first he pretended not to notice her, but she made it more obvious she was there to talk to him.

"Hi there." He cleared his throat—he just wanted to eat. When he glanced over his throat went dry for a moment; She was stunning. Her hair was red, piled onto her head in loose coppery tones, some strand falling down framing her face, like someone pulled out of a Victorian picture. Her skin was soft, ever so pale. Her clothes matched the era they were in, light browns and greens patterning her dress. Her hazel eyes fluttered.

"Hello to you too… I've never seen you here before… are you new?" Her sultry voice questioned him, as her eyes moved up and down his body.

"Y-yes, I am." She smiled, seeming to like that he was new. He glanced back behind the counter wishing for his food.

"Ahem." Another voice chimed in. "Serenity, shouldn't you be stalking new players out on the field and taking advantage of their innocence?" The sarcasm in the tone was thick, and Kazuto turned his head to see a short girl with blue hair staring at them, her face looking sour.

"What, can't I have fun? Besides, this is none of your business. You don't associate with new players, now do you?" The woman, Serenity, laughed and it was a tinkling sound, rehearsed and melodic. Kazuto looked down at the counter, praying for his food.

"Beat it." The short girl spoke lowly, and Serenity growled.

"I guess you wouldn't know fun if it slapped you in the face." And with that she pushed away from the counter and sauntered off, leaving the tavern. The girl took her place, leaning against the counter with her back, opposite of Kazuto.

"She's scary." Kazuto blurted out, just wanting to fill the silence. The girl looked over, confused, before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Yeah, you could say that. So I gather you're new?" The girl looked him over. "Yeah, definitely new." Kazuto gawked.

"Wow, gee thanks." He shook his head, it seemed he'd traded one crazy for another. Finally his food arrived on the counter, which he picked up and walked to a nearby table. Without a word, she joined him, sitting across from him. They stared at eachother for a couple minutes, creating a weird tension.

"Why."

"Why what?"

"Why are you following me? Why did you make her leave? Why are you still here?" He didn't mean to sound rude, but she was freaking him out.

"Oh, I'm sorry, do you want me to bring her back? I'm sure she'd love to harass you some more!"

"No! No no no that won't be necessary. Thanks." He glared at her, digging into his food.

"Sinon."

"Pardon?"

"Sinon. It's my name." She looked directly at him, and he had no idea why.

"Oh. Uhm. Ka—I mean, Kirito. Pleasure to meet you." He put out his hand, which she took after a moment.

"You too."

They sat in silence once more, and she watched as he ate, causing him to feel uncomfortable.

"So… why are you here again?" He looked up, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well. I saw her bothering you… Though I would help—which is normal for me, FYI… And now.. well… I guess there's no reason." She cleared her throat and stood up. "I'll be going now. Feel free to friend me if you like." She pushed her chair back in, and within seconds she was gone, logged out entirely.

Kirito stared into the space were she was standing, having no idea what just happened, but it left him oddly exciting. Without really thinking, he opened his menu and typed in her name. Only one appeared, and without a thought he pressed the add button.

Once he finished his meal, he glanced at the time, realizing he should head to bed. It was nearly 1am and he had school tomorrow.

* * *

With a sigh Kazuto sat up, pulling the gear off of his head. Well that had been interesting, but Klein had been right. The game was fun. The monitor of his computer was blinking, so he moved his mouse and the light blinded him for a moment. Opening his tabs he groaned. He'd never answered Asuna!

 **Asuna** : I'm so excited for this weekend! It's going to be so much fun! Which bathing suit do you think I should bring? The red one, or the blue one? ( _6:50pm_ )

 **Asuna** : Kazuto? ( _7:05pm)_

 **Asuna** : Why aren't you responding did something happen? ( _7:25pm_ )

 **Asuna** : Did I do something to upset you? ( _7:40pm_ )

 **Asuna** : KAZUTO! At least tell me! ( _8pm_ )

 **Asuna** : Fine! Goodnight! _(8:15pm_ )

 **Asuna** : …What did I do? Please tell me… I love you. ( _8:45pm_ )

 **Asuna** : You know something? I haven't done anything wrong, so you can shove it! ( _9pm_ )

Kazuto rubbed his eyes and the bridge of his nose—he was scared to check his voice. If she'd blown up his messages this much, he must have at least 10 missed calls. After waiting a moment, he found he'd underestimated. 15. 15 calls. Well, it was too late to call her now, he'd just have to deal with it in the morning. Before he went to bed he sent her a single text.

 _I'm sorry, I got busy, I completely forgot to check my messages. Forgive me? I love you. Goodnight._


	3. Chapter 3

The next day had been pretty rough. Asuna woke up him up with a mass fury of texts, wondering what got him so busy that he'd "forgotten" to answer his girlfriend. The day had continued on like that, every few minutes she'd hint at how worried she was, how anxious she got wondering if he was okay. It was starting to drive him nuts. It was lunch at school again, and their group was absolutely _buzzing_ about their trip the upcoming weekend. Out of the blue, Kazuto stood from their regular spot, and moved to walk away.

"Kazuto? Where are you going?" Asuna piped up immediately. No one else in their group felt the need to question him. He stopped for a moment, glancing over his shoulder.

"Bathroom." He started walking again.

"I told you not to drink so much water earlier!" He ignored her, and continued walking. Her voice was like a bell in his ear. When did she start to annoy him so much? Kazuto made his way, slowly, to the bathroom. He needed to leave that group, he was growing anxious over this trip. He really didn't want to go anymore. The idea was nice, a weekend away with all this friends, yet the thought of Asuna, 24/7 for three days… it made him cringe… Which made him sad. He loved his girlfriend… so why was she driving him absolutely insane?

He leaned against the wall, inside of the bathroom, not paying much attention when it opened and closed. Most people in this school didn't know he existed, so he didn't really care.

"Hey bro. You okay?" This caught his attention, and he looked up to see Klein across from him.

"Yeah, I just needed to be in the air conditioning for a while. It's freaking hot out there." Kazuto rubbed the back of his head, giving up a small smile.

"Oh! By the way, you were right, that game is great!"

"Yeah? I stumbled upon it a couple weeks ago, tried it out myself. It's not really my style but if you're down for making a party, I wouldn't mind raiding around with you for a bit!" Klein's face lit up. Gaming was his life, and he loved when he could form a party of friends and show off his skills.

"That sounds great man!" Kazuto high fived him, grinning as well. That game really had caught his attention.

"But anyways… What's with you and Asuna? You guys are acting all weird all of the sudden." Kazuto stopped smiling.

"I… I don't know man. I mean, I love her, but…"

"But… that can't be good."

"Lately, she just… she's been really irritating.. I don't know how to describe it. I mean she hasn't changed at all… Maybe it's just me." Kazuto came clean, he knew Klein would keep it to himself.

"Have you talked to her?"

"God no. She'd just get all worked up… There's no point in me telling her, all she'll want to know is why, and that's the only thing I don't know." Kazuto sighed.

"I don't know bro… you'll figure it out." Klein patted his shoulder as the bell rung.

Kazuto flopped on his bed as soon as he arrived home. Something about this day just drained the life out of him. Without really thinking, he put his head gear on, flipped the switched and started up his game. He didn't check his messages, didn't turn his phone back on. Something was calling him back to his virtual world, and he didn't care to ignore it.

He materialized back in the tavern he'd been in last night, and stretched his pixel body. He ventured outside and looked around for a quest to attempt. No NPC's seemed to be around, which he found strange. Instead he roamed further into town, noting all the little shops, information stands and forgeries. He would need those later.

"You're back." A voice behind him caused him to jump, nearly falling on his back. The voice laughed, doubling over onto herself.

"You're so jumpy!" She cackled, pointing at him.

"And you're mean." Kazuto stood straighter and crossed his arms. "Are you following me?"

"Well, I'm taking a break fro questing and got nothing else to do, and you make me laugh. So yes. I saw you leave the tavern and thought I'd tag along." Sinon shrugged.

"Well you're going to be disappointed then, because I'm looking for a quest." He turned and went to leave, getting this weird feeling in his stomach.

"KA-ZU-TOOOOOO!" A body slammed into his, and this time he did fall, landing on the cobble stone hard. He was so happy this was virtual reality.

"Kelin?" Kazuto squeaked from under him. "Get the hell off me!" Man this guy was heavy. Sinon watched with an amused look on her face. Klein pushed himself off and pulled Kazuto up with him.

"Who's your friend Kirito?" Sinon stepped forward. Noticing her, Klein's mouth popped open, dangling in the air. Kazuto pushed it closed.

"Sinon, Klein, Klein Sinon. I know him from school. He's the one who sent me this game." He shook his head as Klein brightened a couple shades and cleared his throat.

"I-It's a-a pleasure t-to m-meet you!" he bowed abruptly, with his hand straight out. Hesitantly Sinon shook it, looking at them both like they were insane.

"Okay… Well… I can see you're busy now, so just send me a message when you're free to team up, kay?" Before he had a chance to respond, she was gone.

"Why didn't you tell me about her?" Klein demanded, with hearts in his eyes.

"You can have her." He was distracted, a little message bubble appeared in his vision, and while Klein fangirled away, giddy at the permission to hit on her, he opened the message.

" _Hey Kirito! I'm not always online, just so you know… so if you ever want to team up, and I'm not around, just text me! Bye!"_

He had her number? When did this happen? Who was she?

"Helloooooooooo. Earth to Kazuto!"

"Dude, it's Kirito here."

"Whatever. We gonna party up or what?"

"Yeah, sure."

Kazuto removed the helmet a few hours later, and shook out his messy hair. His computer screen beeped at him, but he didn't have the energy to check it. He picked up his phone, ignoring the plethora of messages from Asuna. He'd look at them later. He typed in the number he'd memorized a few hours ago, and sent a text.

 _Hey. It's Kirito._

He waited for a few minutes, watching as the little bubble lifted.

 _Hey. It's Kirito._

 _(read at 9:30pm)_

…. He kept watching it, counting the second in his head. What was he doing?

 **Hey!**

 _(Received at 9:31pm)_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey!**

( _received at 9:31pm)_

A grin spread across his face and he immediately began to reply.

 _How are you?_

With a sigh, Kazuto placed his phone on the bed beside him. He rubbed his forehead and stood up, moving to go to the washroom. _Buzz Buzz_. Without hesitation he turned and grabbed his phone, opening the message while standing in the middle of his room.

 **I really didn't peg you as one for small talk... but if you insist. I'm doing alright, yourself?**

 _(Received at 9:33pm)_

Kaztuo shook his head and let a small chuckle escape him as he replied.

 _Sorry, just wanted to be polite, damn. I'm alright. A bit tired though._

They texted throughout the night, not noticing when the time slowly escaped them. 12am... 1am... 2am... by 2:30, his eyes were droopy.

 **Hey Kirito... I'm gonna head to bed, okay?**

 _(received at 2:35am)_

With a yawn he typed her a reply, and plugged his phone in, also heading in for the night. Once he was under the blankets, lights off, his eyes closed, he could feel his heart pumping inside his chest. He felt nervous... no, giddy. That was weird. He took a deep breath and forced himself to sleep. He dreamt of nothing, too tired to materialize any images, and woke later to the sound of the annoying ringing that was his alarm clock.

It was Thursday. He had less than two days before the trip.

Asuna was worried. That much had become abundantly obvious. She was always glancing at him in their shared classes, and at lunch all she did was stare at him. Even though he had told her a hundred times that he was okay, she kept on worrying. He knew that he couldn't blame her, she wasn't exactly _wrong..._ There was something wrong with him, but when she asked, he still wouldn't have an answer for her. Not until he could figure it out for himself. It was a complicated situation and he couldn't even figure out where to start untangling it.

After class had ended, he and Asuna walked home together. Thursdays were their allotted "date nights", as her parents didn't like her hanging out with him as often as they would both like. Thursday's were the only chance they really had, aside from school and the occasional weekend. Hand in hand they walked slowly, liking to take their time and enjoy being along. Kazuto could feel the warmth of her hand in his, and he felt a feeling well inside his chest. He loved her. He always had. Yet, his hand in hers was feeling clammy in comparison to hers. Asuna looked up at him as they walked, worry still so clear in her eyes.

"Kazuto... what's wrong?" There it was. The dreaded question. She could question him with her eyes all day for a year and he wouldn't have to give a verbal response... but now that she'd asked it out loud... shit.

"What do you mean?" Playing dumb seemed like the better option in his head.

"Well... Maybe I'm imagining it, but you seem different... secluded... I don't know... I feel like I'm just bothering you all the time, like you don't actually want to be around me..." Asuna looked down at her feet, her face turning pink as she forced her emotions back inside of her. Kazuto felt his heart skip again. He felt like such an ass for hurting her, and he hated lying to her, but he didn't know what to tell her.

"Asuna, no. I love you. You are never a bother, and I love how much you worry about me. I promise you, nothing is wrong." He had stopped walking to turn her facing him, and kiss her forehead lightly. He felt nauseous. True, he didn't know _what_ was wrong... but lying still twisted his insides.

By the time they had made it to his home, Asuna was smiling again, feeling reassured that her boyfriend loved her and that she was just being silly. They collapsed on his couch, both curling into one another as they embraced each other in a kiss. They rarely did that in public, so when they were alone, it became much more intense. He could feel her delicate body under his hands, trembling for his touch, her skin as soft as silk. Her hands were on his neck, tangling into his hair they way she knew he loved. Their lips were interlocked, commencing in a battle of love, both too dominant to let the other lead.

 _Buzz Buzz..._ He ignored it. His mind was far more occupied elsewhere, and whoever it was could definitely wait. _Buzz Buzz..._ Asuna pulled away from him to look around until she spotted his phone on the arm of the couch. The moved to grab it but something clicked in his head, forcing him to jump over and grab it before she could.

"Um.. what was that?" Asuna laughed a little, confused as to what had just happened.

"Nothing! Just reflex... Sugu tries to take my phone a lot, and I don't like her seeing out conversations, so when I saw you going for it... well muscle memory I suppose." He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. With one eyebrow arched Asuna nodded, letting it go. Kazuto looked down at his phone, feeling his heart pounding in his chest.

 **What do you want for dinner tonight?**

 _(recieved at 4:30pm)_

"Who is it Kazuto?"


	5. Chapter 5

"Eh?" he looked up from his phone, shrugging. "It's just Sugu asking what I want for dinner. Are you staying tonight?" Kazuto had a response ready, but didn't send it just yet. His heart was pounding in his chest. Why did he jump so quickly? Even if it _had_ been her, it's not like they were doing anything wrong…

"Hmm… sure!" Asuna chimed in, a smile on her face. Kazuto looked up and nodded, sending his response to his sister, confirming his preference of food and Asuna's attending. When he looked up from his phone again, Asuna was typing on her own, probably letting her mom know what was going on. He saw her make a face, and knew immediately that said mother wasn't taking it too well.

"Is everything alright?" Kazuto stood from where he was and moved to where she sat, putting his arm around her comfortingly.

"Yeah… Yeah! Everything is fine!" She closed her phone and tilted her head in his direction, kissing his cheek. His face flamed, and he moved away.

"W-well good." Asuna laughed and poked his face.

"Embarrassed? But no one's home!" He shrugged and stretched, settling back next to her while they watched a show.

* * *

Dinner went well, Sugu cooked a great meal of rice and curry, and the three sat together at the table. As usual, Sugu poked fun at the couple, but they were used to it by now. Asuna invited her to the trip that weekend, and she agreed immediately, curious as to why her brother hadn't asked her himself. Shortly after dinner, the blonde girl left, needing to make it home before dark.

"I love you Kazuto." She was standing on his door step on her tip toes, her arms wrapped around his neck. "I love the time we spend together… I really really do."

"As to do I…" He returned her kiss and waved as she walked down the street, closing the door when she was out of sight.

"So what's up with you?" A voice caused him to jump, pressing his back against the door. Sugu stood nearby, arms crossed as she leaned against the wall.

"What do you mean?" He ran a hand through his hair and walked by her towards the kitchen.

"The trip… You don't want to go do you. Why?" Sugu quizzed him, following close behind. Kazuto grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and cracked it open, taking a swig.

"Of course I do." He capped the bottle and headed towards his room, not wanting to talk about it further. Of course his sister would notice; it's why he never asked her in the first place.

* * *

Laying onto his bed he closed his eyes. It was Thursday today… they would be leaving for the trip after school tomorrow. A knot twisted in his stomach, making him curl up into a ball. Why was he so against going?

"Damn…" His eyes watered slightly, clenched closed. He pulled his pillow out from under his head and slammed it over, blocking out all the light.

"Damn!" It was a trip with his friends. A trip with his girlfriend! It should be a fun thing! He growled from under the blanket, beyond frustrated.

 _Buzz Buzz._

He groaned, rolling over and searching for the phone with his hand, not willing to remove the pillow from his eyes. After a moment he found it, and brought it under the pillow with him, turning back onto his side. The light was bright and took a second for him to adjust to it. After a couple moments of blinking, he was able to read it.

 **Hey! Down to power lvl? :)**

 _(Received at 7:45pm)_

After a moment, Kazuto decided that that was exactly what he needed. It was a distraction. Good enough. He replied to Sinon, and finally removed the pillow from his eyes, grabbing his gear. He selected the game of his choice, and logged in.

He materialized in the tavern yet again, finding her not far behind.

"You ready?" He asked her, rolling his shoulders.

"Couldn't be more ready!" She smiled and punched his shoulder, walking in front of him. He looked after her for a moment before snapping out of whatever zone he'd fallen in and caught up to her.

"You seem off. What's up man?" Sinon pushed his shoulder again, trying to get a rise out of him.

"I'm fine, I don't know why people keep asking me that!" He snapped, looking at her after a moment, an apologetic look covering his face instantly.

"Uhm. Okay. Ready to power through?" They arrived at the field, using easy prey. Sinon walked ahead of him, causing him to feel even worse.

"Hey, I'm sorry." He touched her shoulder, turning her around. "It's just been a been rough…"

"Hey no problem. Uhm, wanna get back to this?" She gestured to the mass amount of creatures running towards them.

"Oh shit, yeah." They both turned and tackled it head on, not talking for the majority of their time together.


	6. Announcement

Hello everyone,

I am so sorry that it has been so long. I know there isn't a full excuse, but with exams, fleeting jobs, and other life problems, I just lost track of everything extra I was trying to keep up with. I still have full intentions of writing more, and no, I didn't lose my plot ideas (just some of em), so once I have time, I am going to sit down, and crank some chapters out.

To those who have been asking them to be longer;

I am trying. I write them out and the look far longer in my word document than they do once their posted. From here on out, I am going to try and make them as long as possible, without making them full of fluff, cause that just get annoying for everyone, I know.

Over all, this is meant to be a huge apology, because I know that I did have some followers, and I hope I still do. I am going on a vacation with my family, from the 22nd of July to the 3rd of August, where there will be little to no internet, but I plan on writing at least while I'm there.

If you're still with me this far, thank you very much, your support means the world to me.

Until next time.


	7. Chapter 6

He opened his eyes, darkness surrounding most of his vision, aside from the edges of light streaming through from under his headset. He laid like that for a moment after logging out, not wanting to pull it off and come back to reality just yet. Reality meant checking his phone. Reality meant answering the question Sugu asked him. Reality meant that tomorrow he would be off on a trip for three days with his girlfriend… Reality meant he needed to find out why he felt the way he did.

"Reality is bullshit." Kazuto groaned, sitting up and flinging off his head set, setting it down on the side table and picking up his phone. It had been shut off during dinner, so he turned it back on now, leaving it on his bed as he headed to the bathroom. Closing the door behind him, he pushed in the lock and sighed, turning to stare at himself in the mirror. There were slight circles under his eyes, and his hair was a mess from laying in the headgear for so long. Turning on the tap, he cupped his hands and splashed some water over his face, needing to clear his head. He dried himself off, and leaned against the bathroom door, slowly sliding down it, resting his head on his arms with his knees up. He still needed to pack for their trip, but packing was the last thing on his mind.

A knock on the door caused him to jump, hitting his head on the sink counter in the process.

"OW!"

"Kazuto? What the hell are you doing in there? I need to shower, you idiot." Sugu's voice was dulled through the thick door, but he still heard her loud and clear.

"Yeah yeah, I'll be out in a sec." He called back, just loud enough for her to hear, and rubbed his head carefully, a small bump forming where he had hit it. He took a deep breath in, let it out slowly, and unlocked the door, pushing past his sister without a word, directly into his bedroom with the door closed before she had a chance to ask him anything.

"You're freaking weird you know!" She called out to him before he heard the bathroom door shut, and the shower start up.

"Yeah… I know." He mumbled to himself, opening his closet and taking out his duffle bag. Before starting, he turned to his stereo system, and turned it on, blaring music as he threw random clothing into the bag, not really caring what he wore while he was there. Three pairs of pants, three shirts, three sets of socks, underwear, and a bathing suit. As he did all of this, he bobbed his head enthusiastically to the music, singing along here and there. Like any teenage boy, occasionally he broke out into dance, throwing his hands in the air, and jumping around as he tossed items into the duffel bag. After half the song had passed, he noticed the flashing light on his phone, and picked it up, falling into his computer chair, still mouthing the words.

 _Asuna_ : **Hey sweetie! Tomorrow is the day! I just wanted to say I had a fantastic time tonight, your sister is becoming quite the chef! Love you :***

 _(received at 8:30pm)_

Kazuto quickly glanced at the clock, groaning lightly. It had been nearly four hours since she'd texted him, but oddly enough, that was the only text he'd received from her. That couldn't be a good sign. His computer wasn't showing any new messages either, which only made him more nervous. Quickly, he typed up a reply, claiming he'd played some video games, lost track of time, and he loved her too. It wasn't really a lie. With a sigh, he moved on to his other texts, finding one from Sinon.

 _Sinon_ : **Yo. I don't know you very well, but I feel compelled to ask; are you okay? I know you snapped last time, but honestly, you looked like you wanted to kill something the entire time we were raiding. Just asking, no need to be hostile again, kay?**

 _(received at 12:40am)_

It had only been 20 minutes or so since Sinon had texted him, so he didn't feel nearly as bad about his late reply.

 _Yeah, I really need to apologize about that. My problems in IRL have nothing to do with in game, so I really shouldn't be bringing them with me when I play. I'm sorry for snapping at you._

He pressed send, and sighed again, the song had changed to something quieter, and he had finished packing… all that was left was sleep. Kazuto stood up, plugging his phone in and moving the duffel bag off of his bed. As he moved to turn off his light, he heard his phone buzz. Turning it off, he flopped onto his bed, picking it up and reading the reply.

 **You didn't answer my question.**

 _(received at 1:10am)_

He groaned. He was hoping she would have let it go, but clearly that didn't seem to be happening.

 _Yeah.. I'm okay. After school tomorrow I have this trip with my friends to a cabin, I'm just not feeling up for it._

 **All that anger over a small trip? Why not just cancel?**

 _(Received at 1:13am)_

He sighed.

 _It's not that simple. It was my girlfriend's idea…_

 **…** **.oh. Yeah. Canceling may not be the best idea then… good luck**.

 _(received at 1:15am)_

Kazuto rolled onto his back, a sarcastic chuckling making its way out of his throat. Good luck indeed. He was going to need it. The two said their goodnights, and the entire time Kaztuo felt awful for yelling at her earlier in the night, but he'd already apologized… he decided he would probably do something for her in game, maybe buy her a new weapon or something like that. Hopefully she wasn't the type to hold a grudge.

 _ **BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP**_

Kazuto slammed his hand down on the snooze button, a loud groan echoing in the room. Today was the day.


	8. Announcement 2

Hello all,

I know its been quite a long time since my last update, and I'm not going to lie to you, as much as I don't want to drop this story, I've lost muse for it entirely; as well as where I was originally headed with it. I haven't written much of anything since the last chapter update. However, I came up with an idea for another fic, and managed to get a decently long first chapter out there already.

I'm not sure if any of you would be at all interested, but its called Doppelgänger. Its based on the Forbidden Game Series by L.J. Smith; though its in its own time and starting around 30 years after those ended; so even if you hadn't read the novels you could get into this story and understand it all; so long as all goes well. I have a clear vision of what I want, so I'm hoping that guides me well.

For the time being, I'm going to say there will be no more chapter updates on this story; not unless I can find muse for it someday. I'm terribly sorry, I really am. I just don't have the time/muse for it anymore.

If you're interested in the story I mentioned, check it out; s/12371324/1/Doppelgänger

Until next time,

 _-Buggy_


End file.
